YOLKAI ESTSAN is the Navaho Goddess of the earth and the seasons, and is also known as WHITE SHELL WOMAN. She is the sister of Changing Woman, who is also known as Estsanatlehi. The two sisters were born from carvings of women, Yolkai Estsan from white shell and Estsanatlehi from turquoise. After their creation, they were left on a mountain top alone. After several days, they became lonely and Estsanatlehi noted that they only things that they saw moving on the mountain were the sun over their heads and the water of a waterfall below them. She speculated that perhaps they were people like themselves and said that she would go to greet the sun the next morning, and told Yolkai Estsan to greet the waterfall.

A few days later, Yolkai Estsan noticed a strange feeling in her belly. The waterfall had made her pregnant, as the sun had impregnated Estsanatlehi. Their sons, Monster Slayer and Born of Water, were known as the Hero Twins, and it was they who rid of the world of monsters. Yolkai Estsan eventually married Klehanoai, the Moon-Carrier. She is associated with the East just as her sister Estsanatlehi is associated with the West.

WANKWIJO is the Pueblo Goddess of the wind. Also known as OLD WIND WOMAN, she is said to live in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. Her hot breath whips through the mountains and can bring illness, but she can be appeased with offerings of cornmeal and turkey feathers. Wankwijo's name is also seen as WAKWIYO.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN OLD KOREAN FOLKTALE ABOUT HOW THE SUN AND THE MOON IN THE HEAVENS CAME TO BE. A LITTLE LIGHT-HEARTED TALE FOR A SATURDAY MORN. HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY.

THERE WAS A TIME, A LONG, LONG TIME AGO, THAT ONLY THE STARS WERE IN THE HEAVENS. A WOMAN AND HER TWO CHILDREN--A BOY (DAE-SOON) AND A GIRL HAE-SOON), LIVED IN A SMALL HOUSE NEAR THE VILLAGE; HER HUSBAND IS DEAD. ONE DAY AS THE MOTHER IS RETURNING HOME WITH SOME RICE CAKES FOR HER CHILDREN, A HUNGRY TIGER APPROACHES AND TELLS HER HE IS HUNGRY, SO SHE GIVES HIM SOME RICE CAKES. HE FINISHES THOSE AND TELLS HER HE WANTS MORE. THE MOTHER TELLS THE TIGER THAT SHE HAS NO MORE, THAT HE HAS EATEN THE RICE CAKES INTENDED FOR HER CHILDREN.

NOW, THE TIGER IS VERY INTERESTED. "HOW MANY?" HE ASKS. THE MOTHER NOW REALIZES HER MISTAKE AND TRIES TO TAKE IT BACK BY TELLING HIM SHE MADE A MISTAKE, THAT SHE HAS NO CHILDREN, BUT IT IS TOO LATE. THE TIGER KILLS THE WOMAN AND GOES ON TO THE WOMAN'S HOUSE.

WHEN THE CHILDREN OPEN THE DOOR AND SEE THE TIGER, THEY ARE AFRAID; THEY RUN OUT THE BACK DOOR AND CLIMBED TO THE TOP A VERY TALL TREE. THEN, WHEN THE TIGER BEGAN TO CLIMB THE TREE, THE BROTHER AND SISTER PRAYED TO THE GODS TO SAVE THEM, AND THEIR PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED. AN IRON CHAIN DESCENDED FROM THE SKIES, AND THE TWO SIBLINGS CLIMBED UP SAFELY, LIVING HAPPILY IN THE LAND OF THE GODS AND, IN TIME, DAE-SOON WAS TRANSFORMED INTO THE MOON AND HAE-SOON INTO THE SUN.

WHEN HAE-SOON SET OUT ACROSS THE SKIES ON HER FIRST DAY OUT AS THE SUN, PEOPLE ON EARTH CAME OUT OF THEIR HOMES TO STARE AT HER. HAE-SOON WAS AN EXTREMELY SHY GIRL, AND SHE TURNED BRIGHT WITH EMBARRASSMENT WHEN SHE SAW THE PEOPLE LOOKING UP AT HER. THE MORE THEY STARED, THE BRIGHTER SHE BECAME, UNTIL FINALLY, SHE BECAME SO BRIGHT THAT THE PEOPLE WERE BLINDED BY HER RADIANCE AND COULD NO LONGER LOOK UP. THIS SUITED THE SHY HAE-SOON, AND SHE CONTINUED TO GLOW BRIGHTLY FROM THEN ON.